Brucie Rioch’s babes were also occasionally described as Brucie’s blond bombshells.
That’s because several key members of that promotion winning side boasted fair hair.

For some, the colour came from a bottle, but Stuart Ripley was the real deal.

The sight of the powerfully-built blond haired winger racing down the wing was something to behold.

The Middlesbrough-born winger made the short journey from the Ayresome Park terraces to the pitch and was a fans’ favourite, helping the club to win back-to-back promotions in 1987 and 1988.

In the latest GazetteLive podcast, Ripley relives that journey with Boro editor Philip Tallentire. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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